Page 4356 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 13 October 2009
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That is simply rubbish and I think an absolutely disgraceful decision, and it is good to see that it is now being reversed. I had to circumvent those decisions by obtaining these reports under FOI, which really amounts to a silly waste of resources. Moreover, the amount of detail in these reports has been reduced. As from the 2006-07 June quarter, these reports now do not contain the proposed completion date, and one can question that. It is quite interesting; I am happy to table these reports if the Assembly is interested.
In the report 2006-2007 capital works program, there was a column titled “proposed completion date”. In the 2008-09 report, the proposed completion date has of course disappeared. Why would it disappear? Because it makes it far more difficult for the opposition and the community to hold this government to account for delays in capital works projects.
Following the tabling of the report in August, I asked the Treasurer a number of questions. I refer members to question No 320. As I read the answers, the Stanhope-Gallagher government has now recognised the error of its way; it will now release the quarterly reports again. I would commend the Treasurer on that. It is a victory for common sense. So note that: there is a bit of praise. Well done, Treasurer. But what we need to do is make sure that they contain sufficient detail to facilitate analysis and accountability, and in that regard not having the completion date really does make the report interesting but less than useful.
I will make further comments when I complete my analysis of this report. I simply bring to the attention of the Assembly, and in particular the Greens, that this information has, until today, been denied to the public of the ACT. I seek leave to table the two pieces of paper that I referred to and that have already been collected.
Leave granted.
MR SMYTH: I table the following papers:
ACT Health—Capital Works Program—Tables—
2006-07—June quarter.
2008-09—March quarter.
MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Minister for Transport, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Minister for the Arts and Heritage) (3.14): I would like to congratulate the Treasurer on tabling this exemplary report and drawing the attention of the Assembly and the community to the outstanding record of achievement by this government in relation to capital works.
It is interesting to reflect that this report, relating as it does to 2008-09, and a capital budget of somewhere in the order of $300 million, represents a greater investment in capital than the Liberals invested in their seven years in government. It is good that we have this opportunity, through reports such as this, to reflect on the fact that this government, in one year, invested more in this community than the Liberals managed to invest in seven long years. Just this one report tabled today by the Treasurer
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